2024_12_02 Insight Post- Kim Feld
This week’s reading- Acts 4:32-37, Acts 9:20-27, Acts 11:19-30, Acts 13, Acts 14, Acts 15:36-41, Galatians 2:11-13
I hope you and yours enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving last week. It’s hard to believe we are in the first week of Advent! Because of that, I began looking at this week’s reading about Barnabas through the lens of hope. The first candle of Advent represents hope—the hope of the coming Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Barnabas’s life is a picture of hope based on the reality of a living Savior.
Hope is typically future-oriented. It is an expectation of something to come. For believers, our hope is in the fact that we carry the Holy Spirit with us today as a deposit, guaranteeing our future union with Jesus. One day, what we see and experience dimly will be our face-to-face reality. This hope should form the basis of our decisions and the way that we live our lives today.
Acts 4:32-37 tells of the hope of the early church. They had received the gift of the Holy Spirit and were now filled with hope and anticipation for the future. They did not need to worry about tomorrow; their future was secure. That security led Barnabas to sell property that he owned and donate it to the apostles. He had no reason to fear the future because of the hope he had, so he could be generous today.
When we look at the mental health landscape of the United States, we see a stark contrast to the hope of Advent. Hopelessness is not just a problem, it’s an epidemic. Those under the age of 30 are particularly affected, reporting persistent feelings of hopelessness and sadness. As hopelessness spreads, so does cynicism, and fear becomes a common companion. (Perhaps this is why the Bible is filled with ‘fear nots’.) If hopelessness doesn’t kill you, it will surely leave a mark on your well-being.
Followers of Jesus should be the most hope-filled people on the face of the earth. And yet, at least some of those who proclaim to belong to Jesus are included in the growing numbers of hopeless, fearful, and cynical. We, you and me, must be reminded where our hope comes from. Although these things are nice to have, hope doesn’t come from job security, family cohesiveness, financial stability, or even the election of your preferred Presidential candidate. True hope can only be found in Jesus.
Scripture describes Barnabas as a good man who was given the nickname “Son of Encouragement.” I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to be encouraging when lacking hope. Barnabas was not perfect (see Galatians 2:11-13), but from what is written about him, we see a man who was hopeful because of Jesus. As we begin this Advent season, let’s examine the state and level of “hope” in our lives.
5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. (Romans 5:5, NLT)
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach